Capitalist Corner

August 22, 2006

Big Media Me

You guys have heard me argue that Hillary Clinton should back off from the presidential race and vie for the Senate leadership before, but you haven't seen me do it at great length, or in the LA Times. Well, now you can.

Comments

However, I think the 'Hillary! for presnit' campaign is a foregone conclusion for the Democrat party.

Posted by: Fred Jones | Aug 22, 2006 9:25:34 AM

Congratulations. Great article.

Posted by: Sam L. | Aug 22, 2006 9:28:15 AM

ezra....
congratulations on this great article! you make a fine case in this beautifully crafted piece of writing, and it is has been very well-formatted in the actual paper.
.....now, if we can be spared another exhaustingly polarizing clinton presidency, and have AL GORE as our wise and visionary president....and not have to suffer with the sanctimonious and quintesssentially faustian and "politics as usual" mccain.
....sending out more energy to Al Gore to please help this sinking ship.
.....thank you for the beautiful article, ezra.

Posted by: jacqueline | Aug 22, 2006 9:31:05 AM

I agree, especially the human megaphone portion of it. Reid, as good as he is, could never garner the same media attention that Clinton could. The role of the Democratic leader in the Senate, whether it be majority or minority, would be put front and center on the national stage, helping to advance our agenda.

Wow! Good going, Ezra. That may be the most original argument I've seen in an op-ed page in a long time. Of course, we read it here first, but it's nice to not have standard "IRAQ GOOD" or "IRAQ BAD" boilerplate.

You posit that Hilary will not run, because of internal opposition to her and to her non-approval ratings, etc. Nonesense, and I am sure you know it. The woman was born to *The Purple* in her own mind- to thionk that she would deign to accept the minor post of Leader of the Senate minority or majority is utter nonsense- you know, we know, and she knows. that she would not consider that for a moment unles s to show a false modesty. She lusts for power, and ultimate power of the presidency. Nothing less

Posted by: bill Hughes | Aug 22, 2006 10:49:05 AM

Nice one Ezra...

Posted by: Steve Mudge | Aug 22, 2006 10:57:53 AM

You make a very good case. But one does not aim low to hit your objectives. Hillary will probably continue to pseudo-run for President until the very last minute, and only take a different position when it looks like she is "accepting" it, and not trying to get it. If she spends the next year aiming at the Senate leadership, there's no better chance she would get it.

Posted by: Tony v | Aug 22, 2006 11:06:50 AM

Hillary would be a very hard person to support. There are so many pictures of her looking really mean.

Hillary should walk into the Des Moines Register's editorial offices and declare: Because all Americans pay the same Medicare Tax, all American states should get the same amount per senior as New York does from Medicare.

"She's a human megaphone, for one, able to focus the press corps on whatever it is she wishes to say that morning. Such a skill would prove invaluable to a legislative leader, allowing her to set the agenda and advance her priorities even from the minority."

I think you might be overlooking the fact that one of the reasons, if not THE major reason the press focuses on her is her "inevitable" presidential campaign and her potential to be the first female president. I believe that a lot of her "star power" is attributable to that and not simply that she was once first lady. The second she announces that she's out of the '08 race, she's just another Senator, whether she's Majority Leader or not. I can't imagine the Time cover "Love Her? Hate Her?" or whatever it is (which I think is pretty sexist, by the way -- am I reading Cosmo?) being repeated if she's "Hillary Clinton, effective Senator" instead of "Hillary Clinton, Presidential boogeywoman." From her perspective then, she might need the '08 race to keep her brand, win or lose.

Posted by: Ryan | Aug 22, 2006 12:20:32 PM

Leaving aside what Hillary will actually do, you make a good case for her as Senate Democratic leader. This is something I've long hoped she would do, since she would be terrifying to the Republicans in that role.

Let's hope some of the lesser pundits start to pick up this message so that it has a better chance to affect her decisions.

Posted by: Stephen | Aug 22, 2006 12:43:32 PM

... but what a shattering disappointment to the chattering classes if it were to be Edwards v Gore in the Democratic primary. HRC can at best match expectations, and has a substantial chance to give them something to chatter about by falling short.

I'm a Californian transplanted to DC, and surprisingly at peace with it. Or at least I was till it started getting colder. Job-wise, I'm the staff writer for The American Prospect. In the past, I've written for the Washington Monthly, the LA Weekly, The LA Times, The New Republic, Slate, The New York Sun, and the Gadflyer. I'm a damn good cook. No, really. Want to know more? E-mail, I'm friendly.